Recently I’ve been listening to the work of front man for the band, Mountain Goats, songwriter-singer, John Darnielle, who is a master of the “themed CD.” In 2005, he recorded The Sunset Tree. Thirteen songs offer snapshots of his childhood which was dominated by an abusive step-father. Each song tells a story, and together the stories compose a wrenching portrait reminiscent of the memoirs cited above. To convey the horror and offer snippets of hope through song—so vividly, so convincingly, and so succinctly—should elevate this musician to the stature of famed memoirists who write rather than sing about this realm.